Meridian Gallery: Leigh Hyams & Rolando Castellón - The Ancient Presence (Curated by Theres Rohan); Viv Corringham - At the End of the Road and Always the Water.

Comment by AB: Three-fer features large semi-representational compositions on unstretched canvas based on ancient sites in Mexico by Leigh Hyams (main floor), a soft drawing and watercolor series titled "Early Women" by Hyams (second floor), archived found objects that have been reworked or transformed in various ways by Rolando Castellón (third floor), and two sound and video installations by Viv Corringham, also on the third floor.

Comment by AB: Visual Aid's annual art sale and auction extravaganza and fundraiser to benefit programs for artists with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer and other life-threatening illnesses offers over 600 works of art and all kinds of other goodies. And with that kinda come-on, SomArts is absolutely crammed with supporters and collectors and Lord only knows who else. In fact, it was so crowded, I had to ask my aura to wait outside. The big deal part of the "Big Deal," in case you're interested, is that for a fixed price of $160, you can choose from whichever of the 600 pieces are left when it's your turn to pick. People wait in line for hours to be among the first to choose their favorites.

Comment by AB: The parameters are as follows-- 225 works of art measuring 7 by 7 inches or less and priced under $400. The selection includes paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, jewelry, mixed media works, ceramics, and even restored vintage clocks. And with that number of artists (plus some buyers)... you guessed it... standing room only. The good news? A respectable percentage of the panoply is commendably admirably proficient. See for yourself.

Comment by AB: Produced in cooperation with the Green Museum, tonight's event "explores the intersection between ecology and the realities of living in an urban environment, as expressed through artistic production." Diversions include a pedal-powered flour mill, a display illustrating relative sizes of carbon footprints of major energy consuming nations, a demonstration about growing apple trees from seeds, and more.

Comment by AB: The five artists in the show comprise the Bay Area collective Cadresquad. According to the prospectus, the group here "reconstructs" imaginary scenarios relating to actual events such as the life and times of the Sutro Baths or the atom bombing of Hiroshima. The show's pretty disjointed, and if you don't have a guide with you to explain each reconstruction in detail, you're just plain outta luck. Interesting concept though.

Comment by AB: Speaking of reconstructing pasts, Michelle du Bois, a sixty-something year-old woman gifts artist Zoe Crosher over a thousand photographs she either took or had taken of herself during the 1970s and 1980s. The images range from tourist photos from her travels in the Pacific Rim to family snapshots to quaint quirky cheesecake poses. Crosher, with no assistance from du Bois other than her photographs, has taken it upon herself to recreate du Bois' past according to various narratives that she gleans or distills from the photographs. Crosher has already published sequences of du Bois' images in one book and has a second in the works. Similar concept to that of the Root Division show, however this time around, much more effectively materialized.

Comment by AB: A garage on Orange Alley in The Mission has been converted into an art gallery. Jessica Rosen, showing her photo collages at the inaugural event, tells me that this is part of a larger project called the Mission District Garage Art Walk, the object of the project being to show art in converted garages throughout The Mission several times per year. Noble endeavor.